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Ford brings 'unpredictability' to campaign

Doug Ford leaves a press conference after being named as the newly elected leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives at the delayed Ontario PC Leadership announcement in Markham on Saturday. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)

New Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford brings a level of “uncertainty” and “unpredictability” to the upcoming provincial election, the party’s local candidate said.

Former Kingston mayor Gary Bennett is running to unseat incumbent Liberal Sophie Kiwala in Kingston and the Islands, and he said the new leader’s first task should be building a campaign platform and uniting the party behind it.

Ford was elected party leader on Saturday night following a chaotic and confusing leadership vote in Markham.

“I think people were, to some degree, surprised that Christine Elliott at the end of the day was not the one chosen by the party,” Bennett said. “It was clear she got the majority of the votes but the way the voting system worked [left Ford with the win]”

The finale was a close run race between Ford and former Tory MPP Elliott. While Elliott received more of the more than 64,000 electronic ballots cast by party members, and was the leader after the first ballot, it was Ford who won enough of the riding associations to win the leadership on the third ballot.

The result showed that Ford already has strong support beyond Toronto, Bennett said, but he will need to build a message that can attract as many party supporters as possible.

“He can be somewhat polarizing,” Bennett said of the new leader. “I think that will be the real challenge for Doug Ford, is to ensure that he moderates that polarizing effect and he needs to ensure he has very broad appeal across Ontario.

“Doug believes what Doug believes, there is no question about that. But he is going to need to recognize that he is part of a bigger party. He needs to be sure he is appealing to as broad a base of the party as possible.”

Bennett did not endorse any of the four leadership candidates but as late as last week he said Christine Elliott and Caroline Mulroney had put forward better policy platforms.

Ford’s campaign, on the other hand, was short on details and is something he will need to build soon, Bennett said.

“I think Doug Ford brings a bit of uncertainty at the moment into the campaign. Certainly, during the campaign I felt that Christine Elliott and Caroline Mulroney were more clear in terms of where their policy positions were going to be on important issues,” Bennett said. “Mr. Ford seemed to be less specific in terms of actual policies, in terms of where he felt where the province needs to be going.

“I felt Christine Elliott and Caroline Mulroney were being much more clear about what they stood for, but in fairness to Doug Ford, I’m sure as we are speaking he is working on putting together a specific policy platform.”

Bennett downplayed the conflict between the candidates and their supporters and said all leadership campaigns can be passionate affairs.

He said it is too early to tell what kind of impact Ford’s election as leader will have on the local campaign.

Elliott was the first choice of Randy Hillier, the Conservative MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington, but he said Monday that Ford will surprise many.

Hillier said he expects Ford to moderate the party’s message to appeal to more supporters.

“Over the next couple of months, the people of Ontario will have an opportunity to understand and get to know Doug Ford better,” Hillier said. “This concept that I see of polarization I don’t think will be nearly as predominant in the coming months.

“Some people will be quite surprised how well he will do across this province.”

Hillier also said Ford has appeal across Ontario, including in the GTA where he ran for mayor in 2014 and received more than 330,000 votes and placed second to former Ontario PC leader John Tory.

“That’s a lot of votes,” Hillier said. “I think this is one thing that has been lacking in the Conservative party for a number of years, is being able to resonate with the people of Toronto. Clearly Doug Ford resonates not just in Toronto but throughout rural and smalltown Ontario.”